As is well known, if a hospitalized patient can move around, he or she can use a bath room, and therefore, there arises little or no inconvenience in the patient's personal care. On the other hand, if a patient has lost consciousness, or if a patient cannot walk even if conscious, the patient must excrete waste while lying down, and a care taker has to dispose of the excretion.
Of course, a patient who is conscious can express his or her wish to perform an excretion, and a care taker can furnish a means for disposing of it, and can afterwards clean the relevant body portion of the patient. However, an unconscious patient discharges excretions at any time without calling the care taker's attention, with the result that not only the clothes of the patient but also the patient's bed can become soiled. Care takers experience great difficulties in taking care of such patients.